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Sustainability expert Pippa Buxton is on a mission to educate families on how to live a low-waste lifestyle.

Each week your family is contributiung to the 7 million tonnes of household waste that Australians generate each year.

And our waste output is on the rise. In the past 10 years Australia’s wastage output has grown by an astounding 170 per cent.

Pippa Buxton, who runs Little Earth Nest, says families are starting to sit up and take notice of their wastage because the very real impact of climate change is becoming ‘more urgent and more obvious’.

“As parents contemplate what life will look like for the next generations, there is a more widely accepted reality of an eventual time when non-renewable resources will be exhausted,” she explains.

“The community can also see this reality and consider that the changes they make now are not only going to affect the lives of their important little people in the future, but set those children up to make differences in their own lives as adults, as well as for their own children and beyond.”

Pippa Buxton from Little Earth Nest.

One of the biggest contributors to household waste is plastic, and although the thought of living plastic free may be daunting to some, it’s easier to limit it than you think.

You can have a big impact by making small changes that take less than an hour to implement and will cost less than $100.

It all starts by changing your mindset and the heart of the home - the kitchen - is the perfect place to take action.

"Adopting a low-waste-lifestyle starts with the simple and instant embrace of the attitude that it's worth a try to cut back on waste and especially on plastics,” Pip says.

“From here, anyone can make a difference to their waste in under an hour by setting up a framework to avoid reliance on plastics.

“Once you master bringing your own produce and carry bags to the grocery store or food market, motivation to reduce your plastic use across the board seems to increase naturally. It all starts with having a willingness to try.”

Here are Pip’s top tips for easily changing things up to minimise your waste and the sustainable products that can help you along the way.

Don't buy plastics you are going to throw away

Limit the amount of plastic you throw away by stocking up on core resources such as reusable produce bags and food storage pockets. Try: Ever Eco Reusable Produce Bags which are made from eco friendly recycled plastic bottles. The transparent mesh fabric makes them functional for storing food. RRP:$14.95.

Change how you shop

Think about the plastics on your shopping list. Swap the cling wrap you buy to a reusable cling wrap. Try: The Agreena range which is made from 100% pure food grade silicone without fillers. Agreena 3 in 1 Wrap, RRP: $24.95.

Ditch plastic bags

Invest in a reuseable shopping bag which is either biodegradable or made from recycled sources. Try: Onya Reusable Shopping Bags. RRP: $14.95-$16.95.

Stop using plastic water bottles

Use re-usable water bottles and a keep cup for coffee or tea. Try: Joco Coffee Cup, RRP: $25.95 or Kleen Kanteen water bottles, RRP: $26.95.

Think about food storge and packaging

Educate your kids

Along with introducing some small household changes, Pip says that educating children is essential.

“I suggest involving children at multiple points, discussing what you are buying at the supermarket and also what you are avoiding. For example, I suggest showing them goods with excess packaging like bananas on a Styrofoam tray with glad wrap over them. Then talk about things again when you pack lunches and also after school when you can see what waste, if any, was created that day," Pippa says.

“You can raise these thought processes again when putting your recycling and garbage bins out for collection.”